Longtime Guardians Owner Larry Dolan Dies at Age 94

He purchased his hometown team back in 2000.
A Cleveland Guardians hat is shown in the dugout.
A Cleveland Guardians hat is shown in the dugout. / Sam Greene / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Longtime Cleveland Guardians owner Larry Dolan died at age 94 on Sunday, his family and the team announced on Monday.

“We are saddened by the loss of our Dad, but lucky to have him as part of our lives as long as we did,” son Paul Dolan, Cleveland Guardians owner, chairman and CEO, said, via The Athletic. “He was a loving husband, father and grandfather who was passionate about his family, work, our community and his love of our local sports teams, including owning the Cleveland Guardians.”

Dolan purchased the Guardians in 2000, making him and his family the longest-tenured owners in the franchise's history. It was special for Dolan as he grew up and lived in Cleveland. He purchased the team for $323 million through a family trust from Dick Jacobs, who owned the team from 1986-99.

The Guardians posted a tribute video for Dolan on Monday.

Under Dolan's 25 years owning the Guardians, he saw them post a 2,046-1,899 record, win seven AL Central titles, two wild-card berths in 2013 and '20 and one AL pennant in 2016.

Since 2013, Dolan's son Paul has been the main representative for the organization. Sports investor David Blitzer joined the ownership as a minority owner in 2022, and he is expected to eventually take over as majority owner.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.